Tarah Kayne and Daniel O'Shea of the U.S. perform during the Pairs short program at the Skate America figure skating competition in Milwaukee, Wisconsin October 23, 2015. Fifty-six Olympic and world championship athletes are competing in the event, which is the first of six stops on the International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series. (Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

An indigenous woman participates in a parade called "International Indigenous Beauty" during the first World Games for Indigenous Peoples in Palmas, Brazil, October 24, 2015. Billed as the indigenous Olympics, the games are expected to attract nearly 2,000 athletes from dozens of Brazilian ethnicities, as well as from such far-flung nations as Ethiopia and New Zealand. (Photo by Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)

To produce the images that convey his fatalistic and ironic approach to life, tinged with hope, he needed the environment and knowledge of Mother Russia, oiled with a bit of bribery to certain circus trainers. Enter the Great Russian Bear, the personification of Russia for the last several centuries, onto center stage and into his studio. The bear is recognized as both brutish and cute – Misha was the mascot for the 1980 Olympic Games – and has remained a symbol of Russia since Tsarist times. In 2009 it is the symbol of the United Russia Party.

“Supanova Pop Culture Expo (Supanova) is a fan convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy film and TV, comic books, anime, gaming and collectables. It is held annually in the Australian cities of Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Terminator and Wolverine pose for photos during the National Cosplay Championships as part of the Supanova Pop Culture Expo at the Dome at Olympic Park on June 19, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. Cosplayers and comic book and sci-fi fans from across the state gathered to meet like-minded folk and attend guest panels with the stars of some of the popular television shows and publications of the genre. (Photo by Sergio Dionisio/Getty Images)

New York Islanders' Matt Martin (17) and Pittsburgh Penguins' Zach Aston-Reese (12) fight during the second period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Both players received a two-minute minor penalty. (Photo by Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo)

Visitors walk past a train-shaped ice sculpture ahead of the 31st Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, January 4, 2015. The winter festival will be officially opened on January 5, 2015. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

Visitors walk past vintage and classic cars displayed by Bonhams auction house, during an exhibition, at the Grand Palais in Paris, Wednesday, February 4, 2015. The Grand Palais is staging an exhibition of vintage cars, to be followed by a sale of historic cars by Bonhams auction house on Thursday. (Photo by Jacques Brinon/AP Photo)

In this April 4, 2015, photo, Marilia Skraba, center, of Brazil, applies makeup while waiting to compete in the Miss Viva Las Vegas contest during the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend in Las Vegas. The event draws thousands of people from around the world. (Photo by John Locher/AP Photo)